Wading staff

ABSTRACT

An improved wading staff of the type having a shaft, a tip, and a hand grip, the shaft having a longitudinal axis, the hand grip having a top end and a bottom end, the hand grip having a longitudinal axis, the tip being connected to the bottom end of the shaft, the bottom end of the hand grip being connected to the top end of the shaft. The improvement is to arrange the hand grip so that the longitudinal axis of the hand grip is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the hand grip and the longitudinal axis of the shaft being less than about twenty degrees.

BACKGROUND

[0001] Canes and poles are used by persons to, for example, assist them in walking and hiking. Various improvements have been made to such canes and poles. For example, the collapsible cane of U.S. Pat. No. 1,396,372 has a spiral or circular handle and a shaft that can be collapsed into a compact unit. As a more recent example, the hiking pole of U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,602 (herein fully incorporated by reference) has a telescoping shaft and two hand grips connected to the shaft. The longitudinal axis of each handgrip is different in relationship to the longitudinal axis of the shaft, varying from ten to forty-five degrees. One hand grip can be used on level ground while the other hand grip can be used on steeper ground.

[0002] Fisherman often wade in swiftly moving streams or rivers. Such fisherman often use a wading staff to help them negotiate the water and keep their balance. Improvements have been made to such wading staffs. For example, the wading staff of U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,538 (herein fully incorporated by reference) is provided with a retractable hook to assist, for example, in retrieving snagged fishing lures from overhanging tree branches.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The instant invention is an improved wading staff that could also be used as a cane or hiking pole or the like. More specifically, the instant invention is an improved wading staff of the type having a shaft, a tip, and a hand grip, the shaft having a longitudinal axis, the hand grip having a top end and a bottom end, the hand grip having a longitudinal axis, the tip being connected to the bottom end of the shaft, the bottom end of the hand grip being connected to the top end of the shaft, wherein the improvement comprises: the longitudinal axis of the hand grip being spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the hand grip and the longitudinal axis of the shaft being less than about twenty degrees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004]FIG. 1 shows a wading staff of the prior art;

[0005]FIG. 2 shows a wading staff of the instant invention;

[0006]FIG. 3 shows another wading staff of the instant invention;

[0007]FIG. 3 shows a specific tip design;

[0008]FIG. 4 shows a different tip design; and

[0009]FIG. 5 shows another tip design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Referring now to FIG. 1, therein is shown a wading staff 10 of the prior art. The wading staff 10 has a shaft 11, a tip 12 and a hand grip 13. The bottom end of the hand grip 13 is connected to the top end of the shaft 11. The tip 12 is connected to the bottom end of the shaft 11. The longitudinal axis 14 of the shaft 11 is essentially coincident with the longitudinal axis 15 of the hand grip 13.

[0011] Referring now to FIG. 2, therein is shown an improved wading staff 20 according to the instant invention. The wading staff 20 has a shaft 21, a tip 22 and a hand grip 23. The bottom end of the hand grip 23 is connected to the top end of the shaft 21. The tip 22 is connected to the bottom end of the shaft 21. The longitudinal axis 24 of the shaft 21 is essentially parallel and spaced apart from the longitudinal axis 25 of the hand grip 23. The shaft 21 can be of any desired form. For example, the shaft 21 can be of the fixed, folding or telescoping type.

[0012] The spacing between the axis 24 and the axis 25 at the bottom of the hand grip 23 is preferably more than one inch but less than one foot. Most preferably, the spacing between the axis 24 and the axis 25 at the bottom of the hand grip 23 is about four to six inches. Most preferably, the wading staff 20 terminates at the top end of the hand grip 23 so that, for example, the shaft 21 does not extend from the top end of the hand grip 23 and then bend back toward the axis 24. Since the longitudinal axis 24 of the shaft 21 is essentially parallel and spaced apart from the longitudinal axis 25 of the hand grip 23, the top end of the shaft 21 is preferably bent as shown to provide a horizontal portion 21 a that can be used as a hand support, for example, when a fisherman climbs the bank of a stream.

[0013] The shaft 21 of the instant invention can be made of any desireable material such as wood or fiberglass. Preferably, the shaft 21 is aluminum tubing. When the shaft 21 is aluminum tubing, a reinforcing member 27 of aluminum plate is preferably positioned as shown and welded to the aluminum tubing to reinforce the upper end of the shaft 21. An optional hole 26 is shown through the upper portion of the shaft 21. The hole 26 is preferably used to attach a lanyard, not shown, to the wading staff 20 so that the wading staff 20 can be conveniently secured when the users hands are being used, for example, to manipulate a fishing pole.

[0014] Referring now to FIG. 3, therein is shown another wading staff 30 of the instant invention that is similar to the wading staff 20 of FIG. 2. The wading staff 30 has a shaft 31, a tip 32 and a hand grip 33. The bottom end of the hand grip 33 is connected to the top end of the shaft 31. The tip 32 is connected to the bottom end of the shaft 31. The longitudinal axis 34 of the shaft 31 is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis 35 of the hand grip 33 but the angle 36 between the axis 34 and the axis 35 is about seven degrees so that the axis 34 and the axis 35 intersect at the tip 32. The angle 36 can vary from zero degrees (as is shown for the wading staff 20 of FIG. 2) to about twenty degrees.

[0015] Referring now to FIG. 4, therein is shown a rubber tip 40 adapted from an ordinary rubber cane tip that can be slipped over the bottom end of the shaft 21. Referring now to FIG. 5, therein is shown a screw in spiked tip 50 that is screwed into the bottom end of the shaft 21. Referring now to FIG. 6, therein is shown a screw in flanged spiked tip 60 that is screwed into the bottom end of the shaft 21. It should be understood that the specific type of tip used in the instant invention is not critical. The rubber tip 40 is preferred.

[0016] It should be understood that the specific type of hand grip 23 used in the instant invention is not critical. A preferred hand grip 23 is an ordinary slip-on bicycle hand grip that has been slipped over the top end of the shaft 21. However, the hand grip 23 can, of course, be of any desired type including a hand grip that is integrally formed with the shaft 21. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved wading staff of the type having a shaft, a tip, and a hand grip, the shaft having a longitudinal axis, the hand grip having a top end and a bottom end, the hand grip having a longitudinal axis, the tip being connected to the bottom end of the shaft, the bottom end of the hand grip being connected to the top end of the shaft, wherein the improvement comprises: the longitudinal axis of the hand grip being spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the hand grip and the longitudinal axis of the shaft being less than about twenty degrees.
 2. The improved wading staff of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip at the bottom of the hand grip is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft by more than one inch.
 3. The improved wading staff of claim 2, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip at the bottom of the hand grip is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft by less than one foot.
 4. The improved wading staff of claim 3, further comprising a hole through the upper end of the shaft below the hand grip so that a lanyard can be attached to the wading staff.
 5. The improved wading staff of claim 3, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
 6. The improved wading staff of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
 7. The improved wading staff of claim 1, wherein the wading staff terminates adjacent the top of the hand grip.
 8. The improved wading staff of claim 7, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip at the bottom of the hand grip is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft by more than one inch.
 9. The improved wading staff of claim 8, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip at the bottom of the hand grip is spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the shaft by less than one foot.
 10. The improved wading staff of claim 9, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
 11. The improved wading staff of claim 9, further comprising a hole through the upper end of the shaft below the hand grip so that a lanyard can be attached to the wading staff.
 12. The improved wading staff of claim 11, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hand grip is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. 